Fellow burners, here's a note to keep for next year. All us automobile renters (we came from NY), face the same problem every year...how to get that vehicle shiny and pristeen, so the rental companies don't whack us with a BM surcharge. Personally, I understand their concerns.

Just want to say athat we went to the Buggy Bath car wash on Virginia, a couiple of miles outside of downtown Reno. By the way, this is just across the street from Heidi's, which has the best breakfast in town as far as I'm concerned.

Anyway, I couldn't believe this place. First they hand-wash your car - and then you go through the car wash. After this your car is hand dried and vacuumed. Here's where things started to get interesting. I swear to you that three guys worked on the interior and exterior of my car for - no exaggeration, like 30 minutes. I've experienced this level of car care before, but only when paying well over $100 for a detail. This was just a car wash for crying out loud. $12, with a $5 surcharge because I had a monster SUV and it was obvious I had come from BM. $3 tip. $20 total, and this car looked about the way it did when Dollar rent-a-car first picked it up at the showroom.

I'll probably fire off a nice letter to the owner of the Buggy Bath, but these folks are burner-friendly, and gave me probably the best car-wash I have ever had in my life, for a ridiculously piddling sum, considering the time and effort expended. These guys deserve our patronage.

So, next year, trash the shit out of your rental, as we always do, then take the dust-encrusted contraption to the Buggy Bath and watch it be transfromed into a pristine gem before your very eyes!

You're either very lucky or they'll hit you on your credit card bill. I've heard a lot of stories about hard ass rental places. We went for the High School fundraising carwash in Gerlach because we were in a bit of a hurry to make the Reno airport. They were all smiles but didn't post the price anywhere I saw coming in (which isn't to say it wasn't there. We could've missed it, but it wasn't posted obvious enough). It was $15 and we added a $5 tip because we had a week to forget the value of real world money. They hit our cargo van with a couple power hoses and had kids hit it with a quick scrub, but no vacuuming inside. Not really a good value but it felt alright karmically. By the way, renting a cargo van, laying in a couple furniture blankets, then throwing in an air mattress, sleeping bags and luggage worked very well. Dust just didn't seem to stick to much in it and it was very easy to sweep out with a handbrush. The last couple years we rented an RV which was overkill. We don't mind portapotties, a sun shower is just as good, and it wasn't any cooler or quieter than the van, and it was a pain in the ass to clean before returning. And oh yes, the RV "fridges" were useless crap both times. We're going to rent cargo vans from now on!

it seems that would be true, as a tot i lived in a van (just a bed and a few boxes of stuff) with my parents for a year and a half and we survived unscathed. my pals, however, are convinced after this year (our first time at BM) that we just MUST get an RV next year... goodness... how oh how to convince them!

RV's are very good for getting a great view and pictures of the desert,and just chillin'out on the roof...They are also provide a excellent location for lighting or flags, building shade ,etc......1997,night of the burn,sittin' on top of the RV at the begining of a truly atsonishing sunset ,started to yell out to my friends about it as I realized that 20,000 people were all facing the sunset yelling out spontaneously as I was.The roar!!!!!!!The feeling of 20,000 people behind me , all facing the same direction ,sending out all that energy towards a sight of such beauty,well it was beautiful. If I wasn't on the Rv at that exact moment?I would have been somewhere else,he he

We got a great carwash in Nixon from the kindest family imaginable. They opened their home to us, even offering us a shower which we declined- the Yuba suited us perfectly... Anyway they cleaned our bikes, told us some local legends. They were so cool! All this for only five bucks! I had to tip them. Check it out.